Automatic record changing talking machine



April 8, 1952 A. NlCOLE ET AL 2,592,323

AUTOMATIC RECORD CHANGING TALKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 17, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet l mqezzzioz s .4 E00 a la .5. Theuemz April 8, 1952 A. NlCOLE ETAL 2,592,323

AUTOMATIC RECORD CHANGING TALKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 17, 1945 i s Sheets-Sheet 2 April 8, 1952 A. NICOLE ET AL 2,592,323

AUTOMATIC RECORD CHANGING TALKING MACHINE Filed Aug. 17, 1 945 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 8, 1952 AUTOMATIC RECORD CHANGING TALKING MACHINE Amde Nicole, Sainte Croix, and Louis Thvenaz, Les Basses, near Sainte Croix, Switzerland, assignors to Hermann Thorens Societe Anonyme, Sainte Croix, Switzerland, 9. firm Switzerland Application August 17, 1945, Serial No. 61 1,000 In Switzerland September 21, 1944 1 Claim. 1 This invention relates to automatic record changing talking machines and more particularly to talking machines adapted to play successively the upper face of a record supported on the turn table and the lower face of the lowermost record of a stack supported over the turn table by the supporting surface of a vertical shaft passing through the central aperture of the records.

A feature of the invention resides in the fact that the lowermost record of the reserve stack is driven in a direction opposite to the rotation of the turntable by means of the central shaft which is driven by a second motor positioned over the reserve stack and independent from the motor which drives the turntable.

A further feature of the invention resides in the fact that the central shaft is removably supported at each of its extremities, the reserve records being thus loaded on to the shaft before the introduction thereof into its supports.

The accompanying drawings show by way of example one convenient construction embodying the invention and several modifications of the removable shaft.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatical elevation of the automatic record-changing talking machine.

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is an elevation with parts in section on enlarged scale of the removable shaft.

Figs. 4 and 5 are similar views of a modification of the removable shaft in playing position, and in loading position of the records respectively.

Figs. 6 and 7' are similar views of a second modification of the removable shaft in playin position, and in loading position of the records respectively.

Figs. 8 and 9 are similar views of a further modificationof the removable shaft in playing position, and in loading position of the records respectively.

Fig. 10 is a. sectional view on line X--X of the upper bushing of Fig. '7.

Fig. 11 is a view on line XI--X[ of the upper bushing of Fig. 9.

Figs. 12 and 13 relate to a further modification of the removable shaft in playing position, and in loading position respectively.

Fig. 14 is a cross section on line XIV-XIV of Fig. 3.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the reference character I designates an electric motor of the phonograph motor standard type fixed on the underside of the base plate 2 by means of bolts 6| and the shaft of which is designated by 3.

The upper end of the driving shaft 3 is formed with a socket I0 within which is a ball thrust bearing 13 rotatably supporting the semi-spherical lower end I4 of a straight shaft 6 'passing through the central aperture of a stack of records-I5, the lowermost I5 of which is supported on a supporting surface I.

The talking machine represented in the drawings is adapted to play successively the upper side of the record 5 supported on the turntable 4, the underside of the record I5 supported on the supporting surface I, then the upper side of the record I5 after this record has been dropped from the surface I onto the turntable by a record feeding device, of any conventional type acting through the central hole of the records, then the underside of the new lowermost record l5 of the stack which has replaced on the surface I the record I5 and so on until all of the records of the stack have been played on both sides. The turntable 4 is driven, as usually in the clockwise direction and, as is necessary in order to play the underside of standard records from below, the records I5 of the stack supported on.

surface I of shaft 6 are driven in counter-clockwise direction, as shown by the arrows f and f of Figs. 1 and 14.

The rotation of the removable shaft 6 is brought about through the medium of a coupling member provided at the lower end of the driving shaft I9 of a second electric motor 8 positioned over the stack of records I 5 and independent from the lower motor I. This upper motor 8 is also of the phonograph motor standard type; it is fixed on the horizontal base of a bracket 9 the column 9' of which is fastened on the base plate 2 of the machine frame. The shaft I9is rotatably supported in the base of the bracket 9 and its lower end is formed with a bushing I I adapted to receive the semi-spherical upper end 84 of the removable shaft 6.

The shaft 6 is removably supported, at its lower end, by the ball thrust bearing I3 within the socket I0 formed at the upper end of the lower drawing shaft 3, and at its upper end, by the bushing II formed at the lower end of the upper driving shaft I9, which latter is in vertical alignment with the lower driving shaft 3. When so supported in alignment with both the driving shafts 3 and I9, the removable shaft 6 may be rigidly coupled with the upper shaft 19 by means of a pin I2 passing through the bushing II and cooperating with a vertical flat surface 99 (Fig.

14) on the semi-spherical upper end 84 of the shaft 6. l3 designates a presser plate adapted to hold the records of the stack in place in order to prevent them to oscillate during the rotation thereof. The upper motor 8 may be with continuous or intermittent running; its running may be for instance interrupted during the playing of the upper face of the record 5 resting on the turntable 4.

As both the socket I and the bushing H are axially immovable, the upper bushing H is provided in the construction shown in Fig. 3 with .an axial clearance 14 for the introduction and the withdrawal of the shaft 8. The reserve records are loaded on to the shaft '6 together with the presser plate l3 before the introduction of this shaft into the socket l0 and the bushing i l. The records I 5 and the presser plate l3 are first loaded from above onto the shaft G after this shaft has been removed from the socket and the bushing I; the semi-spherical upper end 84 of shaft 6 is then introduced into the bushing H and lifted up to the bottom of the recess l4 so as to enable the semi-spherical lower end M of the .shaft to enter thesocket lo; the shaft 5 is then lowered until itssemi-spherical lower end 14 comes to lie on the ball thrust bearing 13, and the pin I2 is put into coupling position.

In the modification of .Figs. .4 and 5 the lower socket 213 is provided with :a spring urged thrust plate 22 which permits to bring the shaft i5 into playingposition by pushing it downagainst this spring urged thrust plate as shown in Fig. 5.

In the modification of Figs. 6, 7 and 10 the upper bushing 3| .is provided with a radial passage 32 through which the upper semi-spherical extremity of the shaft 6 may be introduced from the side as shown in Fig. 7. ,Two spring urged pins 33 hold the shaft in place after its .introduction through the passage .32. The lower semi-spherical end 74 of the shaft '6 is rotatably supported within the socket Ill by the ball thrust bearing 13.

In the constiuction of Figs. 8, 9 and 11, the upper bushing 4| is provided with .a .radial passage 42 and the lower socket is provided with a spring urged thrust plate 22.

In the construction of Figs. 12 and 13 the upper bushing is constituted by a sleeve 5| slidingly mounted on the hollow axle 52 so as to cape the upper semi-spherical end 84 of the shaft 6 after the latter has been brought in axial position. The lower end 14 of shaft 6 is 'rotatab1y supported within the socket 10 by the ball thrust bearing 13.

It is to be understood that the removably supported shaft construction may be applied to record-changing talking machines in which the central record feeding shaft does not rotate or in which this shaft is formedas a cranked shaft.

However the fact that the support of the upper bushing does not need to be displaced for the record-loading operation permits to use a statically more stable fixed stand for supporting this upper bearing thus obtaining an exact centration of the shaft which is particularly advantageous if the shaft should rotate.

What we 'claim is:

In an automatic record-changing talking machineadapted to play successively the underside of 'thelowermostrecord of a stack supported on first rotatable supporting means driven by a first vertical shaft and the upper side of the same record afterbeing dropped without reversal onto second rotatable supporting means driven by a second vertical shaft situated underneath and in alignment with the first vertical shaft, a frame, first bearing means for said first vertical shaft fixedly secured to said frame. second bearing means for said second vertical shaft fixedly secured to said frame, a removable shaft adapted to fit, in the playing position of the talking machine, between the adjacent extremities of said two vertical shafts, and in alignment with them, semi-spherical members at both ends of said removable shaft, a thrust ball bearing at the upper end of said second vertical shaft, for the lower semi-spherical member of said removable .shaft, a coupling member at the lower end of 'said first vertical shaft provided with a recess adapted to engage the upper semi-spherical member of said removable shaft, the depth of said recess over said semi-spherical member being .at least equal to the length of the lower portion of said removable shaft engaged in said thrust bearing when saidremovable shaft is in position for the playing of the records, so as to allow the removal of said removable shaft from said position without displacing any of said bearing means and to permit the lateral introduction of the records to be played between the adjacent extremities of said two vertical shafts.

AMEDEE :NICOLE. LOUIS THE'VENAZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

